Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar By Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean Jacques Rousseau, 1712 1778 was a philosopher and composer of the Enlightenment whose political philosophy influenced the French Revolution, the development of both liberal and socialist theory, and the growth of nationalism.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean Jacques Rousseau remains an important figure in the history of philosophy, both because of his contributions to political philosophy and moral psychology and because of his influence on later thinkers Rousseau s own view of philosophy and philosophers was firmly negative, seeing philosophers as the post hoc rationalizers of self interest, as apologists for various forms of tyranny, and as playing a role in the alienation of the modern individual from humanity s natural impulse to compassion The concern that dominates Rousseau s work is to find a way of preserving human freedom in a world where human beings are increasingly dependent on one another for the satisfaction of their needs This concern has two dimensions material and psychological, of which the latter has greater importance In the modern world, human beings come to derive their very sense of self from the opinion of others, a fact which Rousseau sees as corrosive of freedom and destructive of individual authenticity In his mature work, he principally explores two routes to achieving and protecting freedom the first is a political one aimed at constructing political institutions that allow for the co existence of free and equal citizens in a community where they themselves are sovereign the second is a project for child development and education that fosters autonomy and avoids the development of the most destructive forms of self interest However, though Rousseau believes the co existence of human beings in relations of equality and freedom is possible, he is consistently and overwhelmingly pessimistic that humanity will escape from a dystopia of alienation, oppression, and unfreedom In addition to his contributions to philosophy, Rousseau was active as a composer and a music theorist, as the pioneer of modern autobiography, as a novelist, and as a botanist Rousseau s appreciation of the wonders of nature and his stress on the importance of feeling and emotion made him an important influence on and anticipator of the romantic movement To a very large extent, the interests and concerns that mark his philosophical work also inform these other activities, and Rousseau s contributions in ostensibly non philosophical fields often serve to illuminate his philosophical commitments and arguments.